Themes of diversity highlight ArtsEmerson upcoming season

Jody Feinberg The Patriot Ledger

Wednesday

May 9, 2018 at 10:57 AM

Innovation and diversity are hallmarks of the 2018-2019 season for ArtsEmerson. The 11 theatrical productions include three U.S. premiers and performers from England, Ireland, Russia, Poland, France and Cambodia from September through May.

"These shows range in scale from epic to intensely personal and run the gamut from profound literary texts to nearly wordless movement-based work," said Artistic Director David Dower. "Some are wrestling with their obsessions through reimagined classics, others have started with a blank canvas. There's also an undeniable urgency among artists as they grapple to understand the world today."

As the season opening premier, "Hamnet" by Dead Center of Ireland is a multi-media performance centered around "Hamnet," Shakespeare's only son,who died at age 11. It imaginatively explores the clash between familial responsibility and ambition.

Shakespeare also is the starting point for "Measure for Measure," an adaptation of the play by "Cheek by Jowl" and Pushkin Theatre of the U.K. and Russia. Shakespeare's political epic collides with contemporary society in a revealing look at authority, justice and love.

Other artists explore incarceration, racism, and DACA. "The Peculiar Parrot" is a provocative one-woman show by Liza Jessie Peterson, of National Black Arts & Hi-Arts, about mass incarceration inspired by decades of her work with imprisoned Americans. "WET: A DACAmented Journey" is a one-man show by Alex Alpharoah, who came to the United States as a three-month-old and now exposes his vulnerability by sharing his funny and heartbreaking story.

The most widely-known work is "An Inspector Calls,' a thriller by J.B. Priestly that premiers in the United States after six seasons in London's West End and tours in Australia and Japan.

In the final show, the U.S. premier "See You Yesterday" by Global Arts of Cambodia, nine circus artists give physical form to their experiences as second generation survivors of the Khmer Rouge genocide, as they attempt to reveal the truth about the horrors and come to forgiveness.

The upcoming season runs from Sept. 20 to May 19. Productions are staged at the Emerson Paramount Center, 559 Washington St., Boston or the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, 219 Tremont St., Boston. For more information call 617-824-8400 or go to www.artsemerson.org.